Blast From the Past
by musicnotes093
Summary: Although with no chance of getting back to the present, Adam travels back to the past to prevent a major shift in the flow of time from happening. In the course of his journey, he learns how it is to be a good friend and a good brother again. Three-shot. Sequel to Present: Tense.
1. I

**Title:** _"_ _Blast from the Past"_

 **Rating:** high T

 **Genre:** Family, Friendship

 **Character(s):** Adam and Leo, mainly, but an OC and the family are here, too

 **Pairing(s):** there's a huge variety included and hinted at in here, so just stay tuned ;)

 **Summary:** Although with no chance of getting back to the present, Adam travels back to the past to prevent a major shift in the flow of time from happening. In the course of his journey, he learns how it is to be a good friend and a good brother again. Three-shot. Sequel to Present: Tense.

 **Notes:** I know, I know. The way _Present: Tense_ ended was pretty cruel. That's why it took long for the update to come. I had to make sure this was written so the gap between the two won't be too wide. :D Short note if you're just joining in for the first time: unlike the others, this one cannot stand by itself. Please do consider reading the story (or stories, if you'd like!) that came before this before diving in so everything will be clearer. The prequel to this is not awfully long, don't worry!

Just want to quickly thank everyone who had been supportive of this mini trilogy. EmeraldTulip, Ghostgirl37, and AlienGhostWizard14, especially, because you guys are absolute rock stars. Thank you for being so kind!

By the way, just a head's up: I heightened the rating because there's a theme hinted in here (in this chapter, actually) that's gonna be uncomfortable. It's not stated explicitly, but you will know what it is when you see it. It's a terrible dose of reality, something that happens in our world today, unfortunately, but I included it because it's a reminder to us all. I tried my best to handle it with good care.

Okay, now with that done, let's get into it. This one's gonna be pretty long. Please enjoy the final story to the series!

* * *

I.

November 9, 2004 was not – is not – what Adam expected it to be. Quite honestly, he's not quite sure what he expected. He guesses he had thought that twelve years ago, things would look very old and obviously outdated, but this? This doesn't. The wide open park that surrounds him looks beautifully timeless. It's deserted, but the trees, practically auburn and several almost bare, appear inviting. He can't help but gape in awe at the gorgeous autumn skies above, clouds of white tinted by the setting orange sun, each spectacle swimming in a pool of bright blue. Everything looks like home that for his first few minutes there in the past, he's fooled into thinking that he has just been transported to a different place but not a different time.

Then again, technically, this is still home. He has set the location in a quiet neighborhood in San Francisco, right where his stepmother had told him ages ago that she and his stepbrother used to live on. He doesn't know if the coordinates had been right. At this point, he can only hope.

What shakes him from the fantasy of him having remained in the timeline he has left is the information imprinted on the screen built into the back-up test suit's helmet. _11.09.04_ , it confirms, with the time _3:46 PM_ underneath it.

He tries not to be discouraged as he looks at the date. He has no chance of getting back to the future, to twelve years where everything he's known and has come to love exists. It breaks his heart, the thought that even if he does succeed this mission, he will need to learn to start from scratch. He has to find a new family (or people to call 'family') and new friends. He's not very familiar with the mechanics of timeline, and he doesn't want to be bothered by it, but he does know that he can't go back to the mansion, where his father, his ten year old self, and his younger siblings reside at this moment. Doing that can cause another disturbance in the fabric of the ever delicate timeline, and that would just defeat the purpose of his sacrifice.

Still, he already misses them. His father, his stepmother, his uncle. Even if he's still upset with them for leaving and not caring to look back, he misses his little sister and little brother, too.

He misses his youngest brother – his friend – also but not as much, because he knows that he will see him today.

He _has_ to see him today and do what he can to make sure he exists into the future.

He twists the helmet loose then pulls it off after being reminded of his reason to be here. The cold air hits him quickly, and it seeps into his clothes after he peels off one of the straps holding the test suit in place, but the snug, bulky, off-white material does its job of keeping him warm and comfortable despite the low temperature. He looks around and sees emptiness. He hears _relative_ silence, because there is the occasional and distant whooshing of cars quickly gliding down the street echoing from somewhere.

An old, blue Ford pick-up truck rolls by on the street ahead of him, its engines grumbling in annoyance as it passes. So far, that's the only moving thing he's seen.

 _Guess Tasha left out the part of this neighborhood being boring,_ he thinks before walking ahead. He looks up and down the street to look for people and, to be honest, to see if he'll spot his stepbrother, but all he finds is a mother chatting with her two children, both pre-school ages, both animated in their story, walking up the street three blocks away. That gives him some hope, because that means that a drop-off point for children riding the school bus is somewhere nearby. There's some chance that he will come across his stepbrother.

Then again, there's that problem of him not knowing whether he's in the right neighborhood.

So, he heads northwest to see if he can find another person he can ask information from. He doesn't have time to burn. It will obviously be dark soon, which means danger for his younger stepbrother. Plus, whatever it is that prevented his brother from existing into the future can happen at any moment. He can't let that happen. He has to beat the clock. If he locates where his stepmother lives right now, he can use that as a starting point, and he can backtrack. Leo did say he was dropped off three stops too early, which probably means he's still going to be around the same vicinity.

Right?

 _My brain hurts,_ Adam complains inwardly.

However, the confusion is wiped away when he runs into a woman at the intersection of the block. She stares at him with a mixture of surprise and bewilderment. She cocks her eyebrows when she sees his outfit, her grasp on her child tightening gradually, defensively, the more she gets a good look at him. Her brows furrow. "Excuse me," she says as she walks on ahead.

"Hey, ma'am, please?" Adam calls to her before she can cross the street. "Can I ask you a question?"

"I don't have any money," she says loudly, hurrying ahead with her daughter and not looking back.

"No, I was just going to ask for direction?" Adam says persistently, fighting the urge to follow her. "I'm lost."

The woman keeps going.

"Please? I just want to know where my…friend lives."

The woman doesn't stop, but there's hesitation in her pace. However, she's almost at the end of the block ahead.

"I just – If you… Do you know Tasha Dooley?"

The woman pauses. After crossing the street, she nearly runs, forcing her daughter to run along with her.

Adam sighs. This asking thing is not working as well as he thought.

He turns to the left next, going to where the mother and daughter had come from, thinking that he may come across a drop-off point somewhere that direction.

After the reaction he has just received, he decides that maybe it's not such a bad thing that there's no one around. Personally, he wouldn't have minded seeing a guy on a space suit/time travel suit walking around the neighborhood. That would actually be cool. But his siblings, especially Chase, had told him before that the things he considers normal and amusing are not normal and amusing for most normal people.

With that reasoning, he can see why those 'most normal people' miss out on some of the most fun things.

Well, _occasional_ fun things, because nowadays – back in 2016, actually – things that look fun are usually the most dangerous. He may not be superiorly intelligent, but he's come to the point that his sense of discernment is sharper than what it used to be, and that gives him an understanding of that fact.

Maybe things aren't as good out here in the past either, and that's why people are cautious. If that's the case, then he probably shouldn't take offense if people run away from him again. He just wishes that at least one person will give him the answer he needs.

He also wishes no one will call the police on him. That's important. He doesn't want to spend his first years here in the past being in jail. He also prefers the friends he will make to not be convicted felons.

The low, irritated grumblings of the same blue Ford pick-up interrupts his thoughts as it rounds the corner. Looking up from the ground, he watches as it drives forward, lingers at a stop sign, pulls ahead then turns right on the next block. Adam sighs as the vehicle vanishes from sight. He misses his new car. If he had it, searching would have been way easier.

He trudges on ahead and is about to cross the street when the unmistakable sound of a child crying strikes his ears. His head snaps up. He looks ahead, behind, to the left, to the right—and he finds him. A small boy searches around hopelessly, crying out of sheer terror due to the environment he's not familiar with. His little shoes continue forward although its wanderer is lost. His _Toy Story_ backpack bobs lightly with each step. He's dressed well enough for the weather, but from the subtle way he shivers, it's telling that he's cold.

 _Leo,_ Adam thinks as he looks at his then six year-old little brother with pity. He crosses the street to get to him, careful not to run so as not to scare the already terrified child. However, when the blue Ford pick-up truck pulls up at the end of the block, right in front of where the six year-old is heading, he stops.

The window rolls down mechanically, and it reveals a middle aged man, a leer on his lips and a toothpick stuck between his teeth, on the driver's seat. He's decently dressed. He looks okay. Adam just doesn't like the way he's eyeing his stepbrother. There's no concern for the child whatsoever in his stare. Just…greed. And selfishness.

It makes him sick.

"Hey, buddy! What's goin' on? Why're you crying?" the man asks as he grins a friendly, deceptive grin at the child.

The six year-old contains his sobs as he looks at the stranger.

"Where's Mom? Did she forget to pick you up, or…?"

The boy breaks eye contact and wisely doesn't say anything.

"Oh, c'mon. Don't do that. You know who I am," the man chuckles. "I live three blocks away. You know Savannah and Sabrina, right? Don't you go to the same school together? With Ethan? You know I live across from them." After the child backs away, he says with a laugh, "Don't be like that. You're acting like we're strangers! I'm just trying to be nice. I know you want to get home, and your mom's already going crazy looking for you. She's mad, you know. At you. But – I can call her right now. Just hop in. She won't be mad."

"Why don't you just get lost?" Adam says, infuriated and very defensive now.

The question seems to snap a nerve, and the grin on the man's face gradually fades. "Hey, come on, kid. Get in the car. I don't know who that man is behind you," he tells the child.

"Don't," Adam tells the little boy firmly. "Do what Tasha told you."

The little boy's eyes widen slightly with a semblance of recognition, and Adam knows it's because he heard his mother's name. Still, he remains cautious, now both of the other man and of him.

Adam glares at the man on the truck. "If you know him so well, what's his grandmother's name? Huh?" he asks. When he's not given an answer, he says, "That's what I thought. Stop lying to him. Just do all three of us a favor and go away."

The man scoffs. He gets out of the car then walks towards them. As he does, the little boy walks back, and Adam instinctively steps in front, shielding him. "I don't know who you think you are, pretty boy, but you're in the wrong neighborhood," the man says threateningly.

"Believe me, you don't want to do what you're thinking of doing," Adam says.

Defiantly, the man makes a livid step forward, but Adam stops him from advancing further by shooting a laser by his feet.

"That will _always_ be a bad idea," Adam says as the man stares at him, stunned, surprised, and frightened. "Don't let me ever see you around him again."

The man slowly backs away then scuttles hurriedly back to his truck. He pulls the gear shift, and then drives off.

When he's gone, Adam turns around and smiles at his future stepbrother. He sees the shocked and amazed look on his small face, though there's no smile there yet. His tears are drying as he stares at the tall man who has just done what only the characters in his comic books have done. Adam chuckles when he sees the conflict in the boy's eyes. He's wondering whether he should look at him as a friend or a danger. Stooping down to meet his eyes better, he asks, "You okay?"

The boy nods.

However, Adam suspects that he only did because he's scared of him. He chuckles. Then he says, "Look, I know this is bad timing right now. That creepy guy really just ruined the chances of you trusting me, but, I guess you shouldn't anyway. I'm not a bad guy, though. It's just – I have a feeling that your mom told you not to talk to strangers. Am I right?"

Guiltily, the six year-old looks away—a yes.

"Don't worry. I won't be mad if you decide not to talk to me. You do what your mom tells you. You always do, okay? Because doing what she says helps. Like with that guy." He darts a vicious glower down the path that the blue pick-up truck has gone to, his blood once again simmering after remembering the predator that almost hurt his brother.

"Here," he says, opening up one of the test suit pockets, the one located close to his right ankle. He draws out his wallet then pulls out a picture from it to show it to the little boy. It's one of the photos he had taken with his stepmother and his stepbrother at the day of his graduation. He smiles. "See? I have proof that I'm family—Friend, I mean! Family…friend," he fumbles, not wanting to reveal the future so as not to change it. He points to one of the people in it. "Who is this?" he asks.

Though still somewhat cautious, the six year-old looks closer. "Mommy?" he says, his voice tiny.

The smile on Adam's face increases in brightness. "That's right," he says. He points to himself in the picture, dressed in cap and gown, grinning with his arms draped on his stepmother's and stepbrother's shoulders. "Who is this?"

The six year-old frowns at it then looks at him. "You?"

"Right," he commends him. He notices that the little boy seems a little more at ease with him, just a bit, and he sees that as something good. Moving on to the last person, he asks, "What about him? Who is he?"

Adam grins when the little boy's features scrunches up in thought, unknowingly gazing at a picture of himself twelve years from now. It takes the six year-old a moment to process his answer, and when it comes to him he says, "Daddy?"

Adam laughs, but not derisively. He's set on correcting him, or at least letting the boy know that the teenager in the picture is someone that he will know soon, when he notices a shift on the child's face. His searching eyes gradually and steadily lost their inquisitiveness, and soon it's replaced with something heartbreaking. Adam notes sadness and longing. _Desperate_ longing, which becomes emphasized by the way the little boy's lip juts up and big tears pool in his eyes.

Adam begins fearing that he has done something when the date reminds him of something.

November 9, 2004.

Leo has just lost his biological father a few months ago.

The dam of tears breaks, and soon the six year-old is crying openly. "Daddy…" he calls out, his little heart shattered.

"I know, buddy. I know. I'm sorry," Adam says as he places the picture then the wallet back to his pocket. It makes him feel terrible to watch his little brother be so broken. He had seen Bree and Chase cry before when they were younger, but it was usually because of a nightmare or a fight or because someone didn't have something that they wanted. Not like this. Not because they had lost someone they loved, and they knew he's not coming back.

Seeing that emotion through the eyes of a child, through the eyes of the boy who would show so much love for them seven years from now, renders something inside of him into countless shattered pieces.

He attempts to smile encouragingly at him. "This probably won't help much, but what do you say we try to find home? I think you've had a long day today, and it'd be good if you rest up a little. You lead the way, and I'll be behind you to make sure you get back safe. Is that okay?"

The six year-old nods as he wipes the stream of tears flowing down his cheeks. He's having a hard time controlling his sobs because the picture brings so many memories of the father he lost, but he tries his best to get back on his walk home. He crosses the street, with his newly met friend crossing by his side, and then he continues on while the other boy falls back behind to keep a comfortable distance.

As they travel on, Adam keeps aware of their surroundings, looking for people he can approach and ask regarding his stepmother's house. He also pays close attention to his little brother. It concerns him how cold he looks. The little boy is somewhat hunched, no doubt in an attempt to reserve as much heat as possible. Adam wishes there was a jacket he can give him. He doesn't want the six year-old to freeze.

After walking for a few blocks, a purple Chevy slows down as it passes by the street. Alarmed, Adam calls out, "Leo, wait. Can you come back here for a moment?" He doesn't take his eyes away from the car, especially once it stops.

When the driver rolls down the window, Adam feels somewhat of a relief. It's the woman who sped by him earlier, only this time, instead of her daughter, she seems to have a friend with her. She doesn't look any happier, though. In fact, the frown on her face is revealing of her distrust of him. "You still around?" the woman asks, scanning him contemptibly.

Oblivious to it, Adam only grins. "Yes," he says. "I'm still lost."

She doesn't say anything. She only glances at the child now standing beside him. "What you doing with a kid?" she asks.

"Oh, uh, well, he's kind of lost, too. We're just really both going the same way," Adam explains to dispel any suspicion.

The woman hums, but she clearly still disapproves.

"Ma'am, I really need help—"

"I still don't have money."

"No, it's not—" Adam chuckles in frustration, "it's not money that I need. I need to know where Tasha Dooley lives. I have, uh, something of hers that I really need to return."

"Dooley?" the woman repeats.

"Yes."

"You're not talking about Rose's daughter, are you?"

"Yes! Yes, Rose Dooley's daughter. Exactly."

She cocks an eyebrow. "What d'you need with her little girl, hm? What'd you really need to see her for?" she asks.

"I just need to return something safely," Adam says pleadingly.

The woman looks at him unhappily for another uncomfortable moment. Then, she says, "I don't know what you want with her, but I'm not afraid to call the police on you."

Adam sighs, quite exhausted with the conversation that doesn't make sense even to him. "Fine. Go ahead. Call." He looks around and finds a bench at a bus stop ahead. Gesturing to it, he says, "I'll wait there. As long as he gets to come home to his mom, I don't care."

The woman shoots him a glower, though a wavering one, before turning her attention to the six year-old with him. She smiles sweetly. "Hello, honey," she says to him. "Are you Tasha's baby?"

The six year-old hangs his head low, unsure at first how to respond. Then, minutely, he nods.

"Well, where's Mommy? Why aren't you with her?"

The six year-old only shrugs, and for a moment Adam is tempted to smile.

"Is this man bothering you?" the woman asks with another glare at him.

The six year-old shakes his head.

"Well, okay. Let me see if I can get in contact with Grandma for you, okay?" she says. "Actually, why don't you just hop in? Cherise and I can drop you off at her house."

"No, thank you," the little boy says.

"You sure? You're safer with us."

"Yes."

"Okay, honey." When she looks back at Adam, her expression sours again. "I'm telling Rose her grandbaby is right here. He better be here when she gets here. And I'm calling the police," she says threateningly. Then, she drives off, tires lightly skidding.

"Okay," Adam says with a shrug. He doesn't really care about the police anymore, to be honest. He just wants his brother back home, because if he gets back home safely, that means everything will be where they are supposed to be in the future. Turning his attention back to the bench at the bus stop, he goes towards it, his future stepbrother walking alongside him.

After taking their preferred spots, they sit in silence for a long while. Adam doesn't expect the boy to talk to him since he did tell him not to out of obedience to his mother. Meanwhile, the six year-old doesn't really know what to say. He does admire his new friend, though. Unbeknownst to Adam, the child trusts him. At least, enough for him to dig through the contents of his backpack to pull out his favorite storybook then hand it to his new friend.

"Jack and the Beanstalk?" Adam asks with a smile. "Are you letting me borrow this?"

The six year-old nods bashfully but still wordlessly.

"Okay." Then, he reads.

Soon, Adam is too taken away by the illustrations and the side drawings and scribbles that he knows are made by his brother that he neglects to pay as rapt of an attention as he did earlier. It takes him a very long while to finish the storybook. He's grinning once he does, thoroughly amused by his brother's illustrations. He turns to the younger boy to tell him how he liked the drawings, but the sight of the little boy fast asleep while leaning back on the bench stops him short. _How long was I looking through this book?,_ Adam asks himself.

He reaches out to wake him up, but he decides against it. His little brother is evidently tired, and no doubt crying exhausted more of his energy. He needs the nap to regain what he lost.

So, Adam waits patiently and hopes that the woman will come back with Rose soon.

After another considerable stretch of time, he becomes impatient. He slips the helmet back on momentarily to check the time. _5:21 PM._ He looks at either side of the street to see if any cars are coming after taking the helmet back off. Did the woman forget to tell Rose about Leo? The temperature is steadily dropping. His little brother needs to get home.

He waits for a few more minutes, but after a quarter of an hour passes with no purple Chevys or even Rose in sight, Adam decides that it may be better to resume the search on their own. "Hey, Leo?" he says gently, lightly tapping his brother's shoulder. "Leo, come on. You need to wake up. We need to go get you back home. We need to find your house by ourselves, okay?"

The six year-old groggily lolls his head as he tries to move but fails.

Adam grins. "Come on, buddy. Wake up."

The six year-old stirs unsuccessfully.

Adam chuckles. "I can't believe you've been a heavy sleeper since childhood, man," he mutters. He taps the child's shoulder again. "Leo… We have to go."

The little boy finally opens his eyes, though they're still obviously very heavy with sleep. However, instead of hopping off the bench, he scoots over to Adam to lean his head on his arm before going back to sleep.

"Seriously?" Adam says. He sighs. He pulls the hoods of the boy's inner and outer jackets over his head so he wouldn't get too cold before attempting to wake him up again. However, the movement seems to have jolted his little brother into the mode of half-consciously raising his arms up. "You want me to carry you?" Adam asks him.

No replies, but his arms continue to stay upward.

Adam sighs. He places the book back into his brother's backpack. Then, he simultaneously picks up the little boy and stands up from his seat. His little brother loops his small arms around his neck and then buries his face at the shoulder of his million dollar back-up test suit. "If I ever get back to the future, you _will_ hear about this," Adam tells him quietly before walking ahead, his helmet on one hand and his younger brother on another.

He walks on ahead, wandering from block to block to find any telling signs of a house being his stepmother's and also to see if he can approach anyone for information. A few cars pass them by through the span of his search, but none of them are slow enough for him to get their attention. So, he continues around the neighborhood as the evening settles into the skies.

After going around a block that he seems to have gone twice already before, he finds a man unloading groceries from the trunk of his van. They seem to have seen each other at the same time, because the man greets him politely, albeit slightly bewildered, "Hey, man. How's it going?"

"Good," Adam says, stopping. He only realizes then how numb and prickly his feet are getting.

"You looking for something?"

"Yeah, um…I was actually looking for Tasha Dooley's house? I've been going around the neighborhood, and – I'm a friend of their family."

"You one of Jason's friends, huh?" the man asks with a sad smile.

"Oh. Well—"

"You're not too far away," the man says. Pointing as he speaks, he says, "Just go up five blocks from here, and then when you reach the stop sign, turn left. Three more blocks. It's a lot of walking, but I think you'll get there in about half an hour."

Adam sighs of relief. Finally! "Thank you so much, sir," he says. "You have no idea how much that helps us."

"Anytime," the man says, shutting the trunk of his van. "The family's kind of in a loss right now, you know? They need as much support as they can, especially since she still has her little boy with her."

Adam smiles sadly. "Yeah," he agrees.

The man nods at them both. "You taking your son over for a playdate with Tasha's boy?" he asks.

Adam frowns. He looks down to see what the man means when he sees Leo. He almost laughs and tells the man his little brother is not his when he realizes the confusion. With the heavy jacket, warm clothing, and the gloves, the only visible part of his brother is his face, and even that is turned away from anyone watching closely. So, as a response, he just smiles at the man.

The man grins. "Well, you got the right idea wearing that astronaut suit. The boy's crazy for science," he says with a chuckle.

"Thanks so much, sir. Have a good night," Adam tells him as he turns to go.

"Yeah, you, too," the man says. Then, "Oh! I didn't get your name, man. What is it?"

"Adam," Adam says without thinking about it.

"Oh, okay. My name's Chris." The man waves goodbye before picking up the bags of groceries sitting on his driveway. "You take care, man."

"You, too. Thanks," Adam says before crossing the street.

True to the man's words, it takes him about half an hour to reach his destination. By that time, darkness has pervaded the city around them, and the weather has only gotten chillier. He checks on his little brother when they reach the last block just to make sure he's okay, and he finds him still deeply asleep.

He slows down and walks cautiously as he looks at the houses because he doesn't want his stepmother or step grandmother to see him. That can change the future, he thinks, so he doesn't want to risk it. He recognizes one of the cars parked in front the corner house ahead. After some thought, it comes to him where he has seen it: Grandma Rose's garage. _That must be the house,_ he thinks.

Quickly, he strides towards it, but instead of approaching the front door, he rounds the corner for the backyard. Leo told him that he was found on the swing there, so that is where he will leave him. When he sees the fenced up space in the back of the house, he receives further affirmation that this is their intended destination through the numerous toys spread out in the back, and at a corner he sees a small red wagon that he remembers his brother saying he used to have before Marcus decimated it. Most importantly, not too far away from the gate, is a backyard swing.

Adam looks around him to see if anyone's watching or coming out from the house before trying out the locks on the fence. To his relief, it lets him in with no problem. Carefully and very quietly, he heads to the swing, and then he disengages his little brother from himself to put him down gently on it. His future stepbrother stirs, but soon he's back to sleep.

Adam smiles. "You're okay now. You're safe," he tells him, his voice barely above a whisper. Remembering one of the reasons he came there for, he takes the bear he has inexplicably managed to stuff at a compartment of the test suit, and then puts it beside him. The six year-old, mistaking the bear as one of his toys, takes it into his small arms and hugs it closely. "Take care of Mr. Short, okay? I will see you soon," Adam tells his brother. Then, as he remembers the things his brother is to go through from this point forward, he tells him sincerely, "I will always be here for you. Always remember that."

He gets up then hurries out of the backyard. He retreats into the garage to hide behind it. Peeking back, he can see movements in the house, but none of them are coming out. So, to help his brother, he looks around him and finds a stray, worn-out tiny plastic wheel by the trash can. He picks it up, and then, with a decreased effort so as not to blast the toy piece into the door, he throws it.

The wheel thumps loudly against the door. Unfortunately, it's not enough to fully get their attention.

So, Adam tries again, only this time, he finds four solid items, still small, but enough to make noise. He throws them consecutively – one, two, three, four – and then, he leans back to where they will not see him.

When he hears the door squeak, he carefully peeks out to see what's happening. A younger Tasha has rushed out of the door once she sees her son on the swing, while Rose, with a very relieved look on her face, watches her daughter and her grandson at the entrance.

"Leo! Baby! Are you okay?" Tasha asks frantically as she pulls her son up into sitting position. She's clearly on the verge of tears. "What happened to you? Huh? You really scared Mommy. What happened to you? Where were you?"

"Mommy?" the six year-old says blearily as he rubs his eyes, not letting go of the bear.

"Yes. Yes, honey, it's Mommy," Tasha smiles encouragingly though tears of fear stream down her face. "You're so cold. Let's go inside, okay? Grandma and Grandpa are inside."

The six year-old languidly hops out of the swing, and then follows his mother into the house as she holds onto his hand. Once the three of them are all in, Rose closes the door behind them.

Adam smiles, happy that the future is now secure. Then, he notices the silence and the unfamiliarity around him and ahead of him, and it extinguishes his happiness.

He's alone now, and this is what life will be like for him for the next twelve years.

With a soft sigh, he turns around then wanders onward. For the first time, he feels a very strong urge to go back to Mission Creek, but he knows he can't. He realizes now that saving his brother is a twelve-year process, and as a part of it, he has to stay away from his family and friends.

Quite honestly, he doesn't know how he can make it out here in the past. He has no money, and he's not too sure he can find work without any credentials. He has left everything that he needs in the future. He has no chance of starting over here, and he has no friends, no family, and no home to come back to. His hands are painfully empty.

He racks his brain for any solutions, but he finds that all he can think about is where he can get food. It's been hours since he's last had breakfast. Not only that, he's also terribly cold. The suit seems to be insufficient now in keeping him warm.

After walking around with no direction in mind, Adam finds himself an hour later standing at the park he has first arrived in. It's completely destitute and devoid of life. Exhausted and hopeless, he stops. He casts his eyes on the bright expanse above and allows himself to get lost within the stars. The view is so beautiful, and it takes his breath away. Oddly, he finds it comforting to see the twinkling lights. He doesn't understand much about stars and planets, and details of how they work are lost to him, but he does know that they're evidences to the fact that his situation can't be so completely hopeless. The galaxy, even the earth alone, is wide and offers many things. There _is_ a place out there for him, these creations tell him. He just needs to look for it and not allow his own insecurity to defeat him.

Assured by this message, Adam smiles. Maybe that's what he will do tomorrow. Find his place. There's bound to be a point where he can start. He just needs to be diligent and pay attention to any opportunities from now on.

He slips his helmet on to shield his face from the cold before looking for a hidden place to sleep in tonight. He's tired, and he knows sleep will serve him well.

"Hey. Pretty boy."

Adam turns around to the source of the voice and finds the man in the blue pick-up truck slowly walking closer to him. This time, however, he has four more men with him, each carrying a weapon of some kind. He's outnumbered, Adam quickly concludes, and it makes him nervous that his lack of perfect visual on his attackers can disadvantage him.

The man sneers. "I told you you're in the wrong neighborhood," he says.

Adam quickly thinks of a solution. They're circling around him, cornering him, and he can tell from their approach that he doesn't have enough time. He needs a move that will take them all out at once, because counterattacking person by person lessens his chances of getting out of this unwounded or, worse, alive.

Then, it comes to him.

The man and a few of the others chuckle derisively when they see him drawing his arms back to him, his fists balled, and his shoulders taut and steady like the frame of a slingshot. "What, you think screaming can save you?" he asks. "Fine. Scream. By the time they come, it's gonna be too late."

Determining that he has gathered enough, Adam releases the blast wave forcefully. The wave of energy knocks the men off their feet, flinging each of them some distance back. They all land ungracefully in the grass, weapons slipping out of their hands. Adam prepares for any who may get up, but his attention is caught by the message blinking on the screen – _First Charge Activated._

 _If the back-up test suit is built the same way as the one that I wore, the impact from the energy might activate the chemicals,_ Leo's voice resounds from a memory.

 _Normal people English, Chase._

 _Blast wave equals you ending up in some other point in time._

"Blast wave. Of course," Adam mutters, eyes wide with realization.

He doesn't have to stay here. Maybe he can go back home.

As his would-be assailants struggle to get up, Adam gathers another wave of energy then discharges it. The image of the suit on the screen blinks, but no message of the second charge activating. So, again, he tries, but this time, he puts in more force into gathering. As he did, the streetlights around them flicker, and when he releases it, a few bulbs shatter.

 _Second Charge Activated,_ the screen says. However, Adam's unable to enjoy this victory as he feels a sharp pressure on his chest. Some of the blast has bounced against the rungs of the suit, and as a result the impact hit him.

Ignoring the pain, Adam prepares for the third one, but this time, even if he knows the risk, he puts in everything he has in it. More lights flicker as he gathers energy, some of them dying out as they drain of electricity and power. When he determines he's holding a substantial amount, which will hopefully suffice, he releases it.

A blinding white flash floods his sight, but he's not too sure if it's because the blast wave worked. Incredible pain shoots up his ribs and bones, and all air is knocked out of him. Losing all strength, he falls forward until all sounds and colors ebb into nothing around him.

Soon, his mind is in complete and utter darkness.

* * *

 _to be continued._


	2. II

_Many thanks to ShadowDragon1553, EmeraldTulip, and AlienGhostWizard14 for the reviews! I really appreciate it, guys._

 _Okay, just to let you guys know - I know I said that there will be a variety of pairings hinted at here, but just know that Brase is_ not _one of them. Don't want to give away too much, so explanation will come later._

 _Oh, if you see any inconsistencies or mistakes, please do kindly point it out to me. I'll be thankful for it._

 _Alright. Onto the second chapter._

* * *

II.

"Adam? Adam."

Adam takes in a breath, its sound echoing within his helmet, as he weakly opens his eyes. He groans as he tries to get up from the ground, battling the sore muscles and the sharp pain somewhere near his ribs. As he does, he catches sight of the solid white ground beneath him. It looks very familiar. With the bright white lights streaming from somewhere above, he becomes surer that wherever he is, he has been here before.

The voice that called him, too – he has heard it before. The timbre of his voice is slightly deeper, and his words are characterized by confidence that Adam remembers to have faded throughout the years but seems to have come back. This time, it seems permanent, even if his words come in a little fuzzy to him. That reassures Adam somehow, that the speaker sounds sure, and—

His head snaps up.

The speaker sounds alive and well.

 _Alive._ He's alive.

"Adam, can you hear me? Are you okay?"

Adam struggles to his feet, but his attention is focused on the room he knew he'd find ahead. Catching sight of it after taking off his helmet, he learns he had been right. The ground beneath him is familiar because it's the base of the capsule they had used for time travel. The colors are faded now, and the lights above seem to be a feature added recently, but it's still basically the same. Outside the glass of the capsule, though, the test room is darker than he remembers.

This, however, matters little to him. What's of most importance is the person standing in the control room, watching him. He can only see his shadow, but he already knows who it is. Adam manages a smile. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay," he says but then groans out in pain when an agonizing sensation jabbed in his midsection.

The shadow moves alertly, worriedly, as Adam doubles over. "Hold on. Just a few more minutes. The reserves are still charging up," he says, preoccupied with trying to speed up the process.

Through the grimace, Adam manages as grin. "I'm okay. Don't worry about me," he says sincerely, looking up.

"You're obviously not okay. You've managed to injure yourself with those blast waves, and – you need to get back to the past as soon as possible."

"Past?" Adam asks with a grimace. "Where am I? What date is it?"

"November 9. 2026." The lights inside the control room comes on, and it offers Adam a clear picture of how his little brother will look like years from his point of origin. His features are more prominent and defined, and his built, with wide shoulders and a steady stance, speaks volume of the years he has spent in training. His smile, however, has never lost its warmth and sincerity. "You're in the future, Adam," twenty-eight year old Leo tells him.

Adam stares at him with a small, victorious smile. "Future?" he repeats. "That means…That means you survived the time shift."

"I did. And I have you to thank for that," Leo says.

It takes Adam a moment to process it. Then, "Wait. How did you know about the blast wave?"

"You told me when you got back. You told me everything."

"When I got back?"

The twenty-eight year old nods. "You're going back home, Adam. Back to 2016," he says. "That's why I rebuilt this place. Big D and Douglas had shut it down years ago after the incident, but when you told me the night of the surprise party everything that you saw – everything that you _see_ , actually – then I made plans to put this place back together. There's also some modifications because your suit has no more juice in it, but it should be safe. I just know that you have to go back home to your time." He smiles wider. "I owe you this much."

"Wait, wait. You're kind of confusing me here," Adam says, holding a hand up. "First off: how did you know about the surprise party?" He gasps. "Logan told you, didn't he?"

Leo's eyes narrow then, he breaks out in a laugh. "Adam, I know about the surprise party because we already had it," he points out. "That's in 2016, remember? That was ten years ago."

"Oh." Adam ponders over it. "Was it a great party, at least?"

"One of the bests," Leo assures him.

"You said I told you everything," Adam says a moment later.

"Yeah," the twenty-eight year old says. "I'm asking you to, actually, right now. Please tell the eighteen year-old me everything I need to know when you get back in the past. It's important."

"What is it that you want me to say?"

"Just tell me everything that happened, from the moment you left the test room to go back into the past to the moment you get back to your time. I'll leave the amount of details to you," he says. "Tell me, too, to make sure I reactivate this place, to make sure I help you get back home."

"Okay."

"And tell me also that the blueprints will be in Douglas' house, inside his and Aunt Janice's wedding picture above the fireplace."

"Hold up. Douglas is married? And he's married to your aunt?" Adam gapes.

The twenty-eight year old grins. "Yep. I know. It's kind of hard to believe, but they're married," he says. "He doesn't need to know that, though. Not for a few more years. It's just gonna happen one day. Watch and see."

"What about Perry? Where is she?"

"Oh, somewhere. She left the Academy once we all started moving out. She still visits from time to time, though. Unfortunately."

Adam says nothing in reply. As he looks at his younger brother, a thought strikes him, making him shake his head with a grin. "Just about an hour ago, I was leaving you in your backyard swing, and now…Now you're obviously not six."

Leo grins. "Time travel is nuts, to say the least."

"Yeah! That's what I'm saying! This…This is kind of insane." Adam's brows furrow. "So, 2026. You must be…" _Eighteen plus one, two, three…_ "You must be twenty-eight now, right?"

"Right."

Adam smiles sadly. "Sorry I lied. I told you – the six year-old you – that I'll always be there for you, but – I wasn't," he says. "I'm really sorry about your dad, man. It seems to me that he was a great man."

The twenty-eight year-old reciprocates the smile. "Thanks. He was," he says. He grins softly. "You know, after all these years, everyone had always thought that I was the one who saved you and Bree and Chase. We were wrong. It all started with you, Adam. I was able to meet you guys because you made sure I existed to that time."

"Well, yeah, I mean, Era, Miles, and I really planned this awesome welcome back party for you. We also spent money on the food," Adam says seriously. "The least you could do was show up."

Leo laughs. "C'mon, man. You care about me, just admit it."

Habit inclines Adam to disagree, but after the woeful yet successful journey he's had, and after seeing the results of it, he decides to be completely honest in this regard for once. "Of course I do," he says. Then, with a sad smile as he remembers, he adds, "Chase was wrong. The trip had been worth it."

Gradually, the grin on Leo's face diminishes until a faint smile is left. "You know, Adam, maybe it's time that you and eighteen year-old me let Bree and Chase off the hook. We should forgive them and just let them go," he says. He shrugs. "Everything that's happened is just part of us growing up."

"Is forgetting about us a part of growing up?" Adam asks as the negative feelings once again rises to the surface.

"Sometimes. Sometimes growing up means growing apart. It's not an excuse, though," Leo admits. He takes a deep breath and releases it. "I guess what I'm saying is that, as someone who's older, I kind of understood what happened. They didn't mean to forget us. It just happened."

"So I should be okay with them choosing their team above us," Adam says resentfully.

"No. What I'm saying is that, maybe, the best solution to this is to approach the problem like adults and sit down and talk to them about it."

"Well, if it's still not obvious to you by now, I'm not a person who cares too much about acting like an adult," Adam sulks. Then, seriously, he reasons, "They ditched us, Leo. For their team. And it's not as if it came super slow that I saw it coming from a mile away, they just dropped us all of a sudden. Like, what? Are we that awfully boring to them? Chase, I can understand why he likes Kaz and Oliver better. They respect him. He drew away from me because I wasn't a good brother, and that's my fault. But Bree, she…" he trails off. He sighs then shakes his head. "I've always thought that out of the three of us, she's always liked you a little better because in some ways you understand her. But, when you got sick and she said that a few minutes is all that they can spare for you, I just realized that they don't have time to even care anymore. After all these years we spent together, after all the things we've gone through, five minutes is your value." He looks at his younger brother, feeling tired and defeated. "If not caring is a part of growing up, then I don't want to grow up anymore."

"You should tell them," Leo says to him, his smile small and seemingly broken. "You should let them know these things, Adam. You have to talk to them."

"They won't have time."

"They will. Believe me, when you come back, they will," Leo says. He adds, "The thing is, the more you keep this in, the bigger the gap between the four of us will be. Misunderstandings are not a good thing, especially with the many changes coming to us for the next ten years."

Adam frowns. "What changes?"

"Well, you know, people will graduate college and get national awards and get jobs and get married. Move and have kids. Those things are too big to miss just because of hurt feelings that we refuse to talk about," Leo reasons. "Plus, their partnership with their teammates is temporary. Their friendship still lasts, of course, but—their team has been dissolved for years now. Kaz has just been signed into some kind of superhero league, and Oliver's off doing his thing and figuring out his new life with Skylar."

"They got married?"

The twenty-eight year old scoffs, smirking. "Talk about something that we had seen from a mile away," he says. "It's more like lightyears away."

"What about Bree and Chase? Where are they now?"

Leo narrows his eyes thoughtfully. "Uh, well, I can't tell you," he says.

"Why not?"

"It ruins the surprise of life, man. Plus, in the case that this information could ruin a point in time, I really don't feel like reactivating this time machine again. I'd really rather spend my free time at home."

Adam eyes him curiously. "Where _is_ home for you, exactly?"

Leo grins. "At my small but nice house with my wife."

"You're married, too?"

The twenty-eight year old holds up his hand to show his wedding band. "Yep," he says.

"Well, how come you can tell me all these things about you and Douglas and Perry but not anything about Bree and Chase?"

"Because when you came back from this time, all of these information I'm telling you are the information you told me you found out. I'm just keeping the flow of time the way it is," Leo says. "Plus, I didn't reveal much information. You still don't know what Douglas is doing, you don't know who I'm married to. There are still surprises in those yet."

"I already know. You're married to Amaranth, and Douglas is probably still planning world domination as we speak."

Leo chuckles. "Well, what about you? Do you want to see what's in store for you?" he asks. He turns around then vanishes when he bends down. When he stands back up, he's carrying in his right arm a small child, perhaps four or five years old, who's wearing a Darth Vader costume.

The child gasps loudly upon seeing Adam. "Daddy!" he yells excitedly, causing his uncle to grin.

Adam stares at them in sheer and utter terror. "I'm going to be Darth Vader's father?!" he exclaims.

Leo frowns in bewilderment. "What? No!" he says. He turns to the child then asks, "Buddy, can we take off your mask so Daddy can see your face?"

The child only nods before pushing the mask out of his face, his uncle helping him.

When the little boy looks at him, a strong, unexplainable feeling hits Adam. The child has striking blue eyes – ones that he had seen somewhere before. _He must've gotten it from his mother,_ he thinks. His little features are framed by his dark hair, and for a moment Adam is reminded of how he looked like when he was his age. However, something more substantial catches him by surprise and renders everything surreal: he's staring at his own son. He's seeing what his little boy will look like.

He's not too sure if he can fully accept what's being revealed to him.

"Uncl' Leo? Why d's Daddy look diff'ent?" the child asks Leo with a worried glance at his father.

"He's just younger, little man. That's all." Leo glances at Adam. "Daddy's still the same. It's just him from years ago. He's visiting us."

"Like Marty in the movie?"

"Exactly. Like Marty in the movie," Leo tells him with a smile. Looking at Adam, he says, "He's four years old. He's very smart, Adam. He loves watching sci-fi movies with Chase."

Adam looks away. "Good. I'm glad," he says, an overwhelming sense of ineptness overcoming him. He must've gotten that brain from his mother, too, he concludes. No chance he would have gotten it from him.

"Hey, man, don't even do that. Don't be unfair. He got some of that intelligence from you, too," Leo says insightfully. Turning to his nephew, he asks, "Tell him, buddy. Tell Daddy why you're smart."

"'m smart 'cause Daddy's smart!" the child exclaims happily. "Daddy's the s'martest Daddy."

Adam smiles, and for a moment he wonders what it is he has done to deserve that future where a child will look at him with that much admiration.

"That's right. Now go back to playing," Leo tells his nephew before setting him down and letting him go. He stretches his back as he stands up with a wince. "Oh, I'm getting too old for this," he expresses. "I love my nephew but, this is the worst time to get me to babysit. I do not have the energy for this."

"Is he bionic?" Adam asks worriedly.

"No," Leo answers. "Big D and Douglas didn't want the kids to experience everything we experienced with the bionics. You and your wife don't want your children to have any chip installed in them either, so your son's just a normal kid. He'll probably be opposed to that decision when he grows up, but for now he's enjoying just being in a family of superhumans—minus his grandma, of course." Something inaudible catches his attention, pulling his focus downward. His eyes searches over the control panel in front of him. He smiles when he looks up. "It's fully charged. Are you ready to go home?" he asks.

Adam smiles. Not too long ago, he thought that seeing his loved ones again will be impossible, at least for the next two years and a decade. Now, he has a chance to go back. He nods. "I am," he says simply.

"Get well, Adam. I will see you soon," the twenty-eight year old tells him after swiping the switches on. "If you remember, please tell Big D and Douglas to continue dismantling the time machine. At the very least, it's useless. Time and reality have a way of staying the same. Forcing them to change can only bring destruction that we can't undo. Let's not test it."

Adam smirks. "You know I'll probably only remember the part about dismantling the time machine, right?" he asks.

Leo laughs before inputting a few final commands.

Concernedly, Adam asks, "Leo? Will you really be okay when I come back?"

Leo smiles, a ghost of sadness lingering invisibly on his face. "Just try to remember as much as you can. Tell the younger me all about it. You and I should be okay," he says.

Adam nods as the lights in the capsule increases in brightness. As it builds, he slips his helmet back on then locks it. For a few more seconds, it grants him a visual of his younger brother who has apparently picked up his son so both of them can say goodbye. As they both wave at him, both with protective eye gears on, Adam cannot help but smile.

He has seen the past, and he has seen ten years into the future.

It has been a great and exciting ride, to say the least.

Now, however, he's ready to get back home. He needs to see his family, to make sure that the present right in front of him will exist. Afterwards, all he has to do is wait in anticipation until this day comes.

Unlike the older model of the time capsule, the sound that echoes through the capsule is shrill and almost unbelievably unbothersome. The lights are blinding, and he takes this as a cue to close his eyes and wait for the first charge. However, instead of the strong impact that he has gotten used to, he senses a jolt of electricity hit him. It's a mild static charge, but he can feel the suit reacting to it. The rungs are buzzing with a potent energy, and the nearly microscopic movement commutes to him.

For a second, he wonders if it's working at all when, suddenly, it's as if the base of the capsule has been pulled away from under his feet, and he's left falling into an abyss. Before fear can fully settle in, however, something solid connects with his feet, and the unexpected impact causes him to clumsily tumble backwards.

"Adam? Adam!"

Adam looks wildly around, surprised of having heard his younger sister's voice. He's still in the same capsule, but the new features are gone. Inside the glass cylinder with him is the control pad that he had half-destroyed. At either side of him are the panels, the one that his father and uncle had designed.

On the control room ahead stands, not his twenty-eight year old brother and his son, but his father, a man he hasn't seen before, and his two younger siblings—three of them with very panicked looks on their faces. He's back in his time, he finally realizes, and the date displayed on the screen in front of him confirms it.

He's back in 2016. He's made it back home.

Hurriedly, he steps out of the capsule, the door automatically opening then closing for him as he passes by, then heads to the sealed door to the control room. After making sure that the occupants of the other room has cleared away from it, he breaks it open. He doesn't stop to acknowledge his family but instead sprints to the elevators. A glance at the skies as he boarded the lift gives him the first assurance to his success. The ominous, dark, deep green clouds looming over the city are slowly dissipating, making way to the bright Californian day they were promised earlier. It tells him that the waves of changes have stopped, and it alleviates a bit of the dread weighing on him.

What removes it off from him completely is the sight of his younger brother. When he arrives inside the test room he has left him in earlier, he sees that he's still unconscious, but he doesn't look as lifeless. The machine at the corner sings of the rhythm of life thriving within him, and it causes Adam to release a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Douglas looks at him in a degree of shock as he unlocks his helmet. "How did you get back?" he asks Adam as he kneels by his brother. "What did you do?"

The sound of his younger nephew coming to answers his question. He stirs, and then groans. His eyes flutter open, a grimace on his face when he begins feeling the pain inflicted on him by his crash landing.

"Wait, Leo. Don't move," Douglas tells him. "We have to call the paramedics to help you up. You had a pretty bad fall."

Leo stares at him blearily, understanding only the first half of what he has said. His focus then switches over to his older brother. He gazes at him wordlessly for a while, glancing inquisitively once at the test suit his brother is wearing. Then, he asks, "Adam? What…Where did you come from?"

Adam grins. "The past. And the future," he says. "I have so many things to tell you."

Leo seems to think about it. Looking at Douglas with his brows slightly furrowed, he asks, "What did you do with him?"

Douglas is set on telling him that he had done nothing when Adam screams and bends over in pain. "Adam," Douglas says, alarmed. "What's the matter?"

"Blast wave," Adam manages to say. He breathes shallowly and irregularly to lessen the agony as he clutches his midsection. "…bounced…It bounced against the suit when I used it."

"Adam?" he hears his father's voice behind him as he balls his fists and clenches his jaws shut to keep himself from yelling out in pain. "Douglas, what's happening?"

"He's injured. We have to get him out of the suit, Donald. The compression will worsen the damages," Douglas says urgently, coming over to Adam's side.

"Injuries? What do you mean?"

As the words and the world around him blur into something nearly incomprehensible, all Adam can pay attention to is his youngest brother. There's fear in his eyes and confusion, but, true to the words of his twenty-eight year old self, he's okay. That's all Adam wants to dwell on, that his brother is okay. As the toll of his wounds consume him, he begins to doubt the trueness of the twenty-eight year old's promise that he, too, will be okay, but he holds onto it nonetheless.

He holds onto that promise tightly even if the next day, to him, is uncertain.

* * *

 _to be continued._


	3. III

_Thank you to ShadowDragon1553 and EmeraldTulip for the reviews! My apologies for not being able to respond; I was trying to get this final chapter finished and edited before tonight. Replies will be sent later!_

 _Okay, so as mentioned, here's an explanation for last chapter. There were some details that were edited out for the reasons that they interrupted the flow of the story and stylistically, they just didn't fit. One of the details was about Chase. Adam's son, on the omitted bit, actually accidentally reveals that Chase is married to a woman named Sam (he calls her Aunt Sammy). The other detail was about Bree. When Adam was traveling back to 2016, the noise in the capsule drowns out his son's question to Leo, asking him why he didn't tell his father about what really happened to his Aunt Bree. Leo only smiles at him and answers that Adam doesn't need to know that at that moment._

 _One of you noticed a difference in Leo's demeanor, that he's a bit more serious than usual, and what happened to Bree is the reason._

 _They were important bits, I know, but they just didn't fit in with the rest of what was written, so they had to be omitted. The clues to these were left in the chapter, though. :)_

 _Okay. Final chapter! Just to let you know, there's a spoiler here for tonight's episode. You've been warned. ;)_

 _Thank you so much to everyone who has been supportive of this mini-trilogy! I seriously didn't know how to feel about these last two stories, but your enthusiasm just gave me confidence and let me know it had been a good idea to share. Again, thanks so much._

 _Have a great Wednesday, everyone!_

 _\- Shaine_

* * *

III.

The next two days following his return were interesting, in Adam's opinion. Because of the internal injuries that he sustained, he was confined at Davenport Industries so his father, his uncle, and Dr. Evans could monitor his progress. He didn't really find it necessary, and he actually found it excessive, but Leo, who was also confined at the facility and who was only too happy to have someone else there with him, pointed out that their father and uncle probably only did that because he gave them a scare. Maybe, he said, they just wanted to make sure he was okay, wasn't hurt, and didn't come out of the travel with some mutation they needed to address.

Adam disagreed. He thought that having him locked up there was just their way of grounding him because he used one of their prized inventions unauthorized.

Because of his need to rest, however, Adam barely had any opportunity to complain or even get bored. Months and months of hard work at the Academy suddenly came up and inflicted damage once he had the chance to just relax and rest. He slept for incredibly long periods of time. It seemed to have done him very well, though, because he felt so much better by the time he and Leo are ready to go back home.

He's been too preoccupied by a variety of thoughts that he forgot about the surprise party. He only remembers it when he, his father, his uncle, and Leo are on the hydroloop, the latter three talking about how they would proceed with these newfound abilities of theirs (he's still not sold that his father and his uncle have any, to be honest).

"Uh, did we miss something?" Leo asks as they step out of the transportation system and notices the eerie silence.

Donald shrugs. Douglas only walks on ahead towards the Living Quarters, leading the small group.

Confused, Leo turns towards his older brother. "Was there any field trips scheduled today?" he asks as the doors to the Quarters slide open. "I mean, I know it's kinda late to—"

"Surprise!"

"Welcome home, you two!" Era jogs over to them, giving a very shocked Leo a hug then Adam one.

Leo gazes at the small crowd of people gathered in the room wide-eyed, a big smile slowly pulling on each side of his lips. "What's all of this?" he asks as he looks at the recognizable variety of 80's costumes worn by their students and friends.

"It's a welcome home party for you, Leo," Adam tells him with a grin.

"And you, too, Adam. It's for you, too," Era tells him, beaming up at him with her blue eyes.

Adam frowns. "Me?"

"Yeah! Mr. Davenport told us what you did and what happened, so we wanted to include you in this one, too," Era says.

"Well, actually, I'm talking about the costumes," Leo clarifies.

"It's Rocket's idea," Taylor says. "He suggested that we make this thematic. You know, since you and Adam time traveled, why not make it a _Back to the Future_ party?"

Leo nods approvingly at Rocket with a grin. He points to him then says, "Ah, I like that. That brain of yours, Rock man. That needs to be insured."

Rocket, dressed as Doc Brown, only shakes his head, slightly grinning.

Adam, on the other hand, only smiles knowingly to himself, remembering how his son referenced the same movie when he met him just days ago.

"What do you say we start eating, chief? We're kind of starving," Logan, dressed as Bif, asks Leo.

"Yeah, of course. We're kind of hungry, too," Leo says, cuing for the attendees to start breaking apart for the array on the counter. He frowns. "Where's Amaranth?"

"Bob forgot his present for Adam. Daniel volunteered to come help him get it, but he always gets lost, so she went with them," Era explains. She laughs then says, "She's gonna be so mad when she finds out she missed you guys coming in."

Leo grins. "Oh, yeah. She will."

"Adam, should we go get something?" Era asks with a smile.

"Oh, you go on ahead. Pretty ladies first," Adam declines politely, winking at her.

Era chuckles as she lets go of Adam's hand.

"You should've told Logan, Charlie, and Donovan that first," Leo tells his older brother with a grin as he looks at the three men standing at the front of the line. When Era walks away, he gently nudges his brother. "'Pretty ladies first'?"

"Yeah. Era _is_ pretty," Adam says of his girlfriend.

"I wasn't saying that she wasn't," Leo says, chuckling. A silent interval passes by before he speaks again. He sighs as he gazes at their guests. "I have a feeling that we're going to be in charge of the clean-up. Thinking about it makes me tired already."

Adam smiles. "Ah, it's gonna be alright. At least that gives us something to do while I tell you everything you told me to tell you."

Leo blinks, confused. "Huh?"

"I have to tell you what happened, Leo. You told me to, because ten years from now, I will need your help to send me back to two days ago," he says.

Leo's brows furrow. "Ten years from now?" he repeats. "Wait. What do you…You didn't just go back to the past?"

Adam is set to answer when someone says, "Hey," from behind them. Turning around, they find Chase and Bree standing there, small, apologetic smiles on their faces. "How are you both?" Chase asks.

"It's good to see you guys are back," Bree offers with a weak grin.

Adam only looks at them, quite conflicted with what to feel about their presence. Leo does the same, but he also shrinks back from his older siblings a little more out of hurt.

Seeing this clearly troubles Bree and Chase, but they choose to remain more positive. "We took off a few days to spend some time with you," Bree says. "We were wondering if the four of us can talk?"

Adam ponders over it. He looks at Leo to see what he thinks about it, but he only finds his younger brother looking at him yieldingly, letting him know that the decision is ultimately his to make. Turning back to his other siblings, he remembers what the twenty-eight year old Leo told him: he has to talk to them about what he feels. He's inclined to decline, but if he does so he's been warned of what he will miss out on. He's still unhappy with them and their decisions, but he guesses that years down the line, this will not even matter. He knows a bit of what the future holds, and it's obvious to him that, in the end, he doesn't want Bree and Chase shut out from it.

"Training Area's probably empty," Adam says evenly, quietly.

Chase nods. "Okay," he says before walking off to their destination, his older sister right beside him.

Adam glances at Leo then offers him a small smile when he sees a shadow of uncertainty in his features. Through the sincere expression, he tells him that all will be okay. He lets him know that this conversation, though intimidating, may not be as bad as it seems.

After all, it's only a necessary step to a good future.

* * *

 _end of story three._

 _end of story._


End file.
